Embossed Drawtape for Polymeric Bags

ABSTRACT

An embossed drawtape generally for use with drawstring polymeric bags is disclosed. The embossed drawtape is imprinted with an embossing pattern having a plurality of embosses. According to one embodiment, the embossing pattern may provide a better feel and improved characteristics for consumer use.

The present disclosure generally relates to the construction andmanufacture of polymeric bags and in particular to improvements to thedrawtape used in drawstring-type polymeric bags, especially polymerictrash bags.

BACKGROUND

Polymeric bags are ubiquitous in modern society. As a natural result ofthe widespread adoption and use of polymeric bags, the bags areavailable in a countless number of combinations of capacities,thicknesses, dimensions, and colors. Polymeric bags may be used innumerous ways including for long-term storage, food storage, and trashcollection. In response to consumer demand, manufacturers of polymericbags have also developed several innovations over the years to improvethe utility and performance of polymeric bags.

While the polymeric trash bags available to consumers are available in avariety of different configurations, certain configurations are designedto cater to certain uses and particular segments of the population. Whenconsidering the utility of polymeric trash bags, one issue of primaryconcern to both consumers and manufacturers is how the consumer cansecurely close and carry the trash bag after filling with debris.Securing the trash bag is of critical importance to containing the trashand other debris inside the trash bag when it is collected andtransported. Over the years, the industry has developed severaldifferent methods for securely closing and carrying trash bags, eachmethod having certain advantages and disadvantages over the othermethods.

SUMMARY

The present disclosure is generally directed to a drawtape fordrawstring polymeric bags. The drawtape is manufactured frompolyethylene and is imprinted with an embossing pattern comprised of aplurality of embosses. In a preferred embodiment, the plurality ofembosses may be substantially circular in shape, substantially uniformin size, and distributed evenly within the embossing pattern.Furthermore, in one embodiment, the plurality of embosses may have asubstantially uniform depth and be imprinted so as to extent from thebase of the drawtape in a single direction. It is contemplated that thepresent disclosure may be manufactured with at least 20% high-densitypolyethylene. In certain embodiments the drawtape has a width of between0.5 inches and 2 inches with a thickness of between 1.5 and 3 mils. Inone embodiment, the width may be 1 inch with a thickness of 2.25 mils.In certain embodiments the polyethylene drawtape is a triple-ply,co-extruded drawtape.

The present disclosure is also directed to a drawstring polymeric bagutilizing an embossed drawtape. In particular, the present disclosure isdirected toward a polymeric bag comprised of a front panel and a backpanel that are joined along a first side, a second side, and a bottom ofthe respective panels to form the polymeric bag. The top end of thefront panel is folded and sealed to form a first hem while the top endof the back panel is folded and sealed to form a second hem. A drawtapeis disposed within at least one of the two hems and is imprinted with anembossing pattern comprising a plurality of embosses. As before, inpreferred embodiments, the plurality of embosses are substantiallycircular in shape, are substantially uniform in size and are distributedevenly within the embossing pattern. Furthermore, the plurality ofembosses may have a substantially uniform depth. In some embodiments,the embossed drawtape may have a width between 0.5 inches and 2 inchesand a thickness of between 1.5 mils and 3 mils. In one embodiment, thewidth of the drawtape is 1 inch with a thickness of 2.25 mils.

The present disclosure is also directed toward a method formanufacturing an embossed drawstring bag. The present disclosure isdirected toward the steps of manufacturing a polymeric bag with a frontpanel, a back panel, and an upper opening. A first hem is formed alongthe upper opening of the polymeric bag and a first embossed drawtape isdisposed within the first hem. The first embossed drawtape is imprintedwith an embossing pattern comprising a plurality of embosses.Furthermore, the present disclosure is also directed toward the steps ofsealing a first end of the first embossed drawtape to a first side ofthe polymeric bag and sealing a second end of the first embosseddrawtape to a second side of the polymeric bag. Additionally, thepresent disclosure is also directed toward the additional steps offorming a second hem along the upper opening of the polymeric bag anddisposing a second embossed drawtape within the second hem formed alongthe upper opening of the polymeric bag, the second embossed drawtapeimprinted with an embossing pattern comprised of a plurality ofembosses.

It is contemplated that the present disclosure may be utilized in waysthat are not fully described or set forth herein. The present disclosureis intended to encompass these additional uses to the extent such usesare not contradicted by the appended claims. Therefore, the presentdisclosure should be given the broadest reasonable interpretation inview of the present disclosure, the accompanying figures, and theappended claim. In addition, other technical features may be readilyapparent to one skilled in the art from the following figures,descriptions and claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For a more complete understanding of this disclosure and its features,reference is now made to the following description, taken in conjunctionwith the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 provides an exemplary perspective view of a conventionaldrawstring-style polymeric trash bag;

FIG. 2 provides an exemplary overhead elevation view of a drawtapeaccording to one embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 3 provides an exemplary side elevation view of the embosseddrawtape according to one embodiment of the present disclosure, thedimensions exaggerated for effect; and

FIG. 4 provides an exemplary perspective view of a drawstring-stylepolymeric trash bag incorporating one embodiment of the embosseddrawtape of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

There are a small number of conventional methods for generally securelyclosing and carrying trash bags used in commercially-available trashbags. The most basic of these methods is to include providing atwist-tie or similar strap to secure the top of the bag when it isbunched together. Another conventional method includes providing flapsextending from the top of the trash bag, which may be used for securelytying the top of the bag closed. A third conventional method to securelyclosing and facilitating carrying of a trash bag is to include adrawstring near the top edge of the bag. The drawstring is typicallylocated in a hem along the upper edge of the bag, which may be used topull the upper opening of the trash bag closed.

One conventional method to secure a trash bag includes providing a “tie”to accompany the refuse bag. “Twist-tie bags” typically includestraight-cut bags, which have an ordinary circular opening at the top ofthe bag. After the twist-tie bag is filled with trash and debris, thetop edge of the bag is bunched together and the twist-tie is used tohold the bunch together for disposal. The twist ties are typicallyconstructed from a combination of paper and wire, but other types ofties may be utilized to secure the bag opening.

These methods of securing the trash bag are generally effective, butpresent certain challenges and disadvantages. For example, conventionalbags that provide twist-ties are simple to produce because the shape ofthe bag is generally basic and the ties can be separately produced atvery low cost. However, for the consumers, this method of closure can beinefficient in certain instances. First and foremost, the ties must bekept in a location that is convenient to the filled trash bags whenneeded to securely close the bag. Keeping the ties in a locationseparate from the bag itself is impractical and inconvenient, oftenresulting in lost or misplaced ties. Furthermore, it is difficult tocarry a trash bag closed with a twist-tie as the only available materialfor carrying is the excess material in the tied bunch.

Other conventional methods include using a multi-flapped bag. A“multi-flapped” bag generally refers to a polymeric bag having a topedge cut in a wave-like pattern to provide two or more flaps extendingupward from the top of the bag. These flaps, which are typically inpaired configurations of two or four flaps, generally allow the user totie opposing flaps together to secure the contents of the trash baginside. When the flaps are secured to one another, the tied flaps alsogenerally provide a handle for carrying the bag. Thus, multi-flappedbags are generally easier to use than twist-tie bags. Multi-flappedbags, however, still present certain challenges and disadvantages. Forexample, the multi-flap bag is still not generally as convenient as manycommercially available drawstring bags.

Drawstring trash bags are a popular alternative to multi-flap andtwist-tie trash bags. As the name suggests, drawstring bags generallyemploy a drawstring, or drawtape, which is incorporated into the bagdesign. The drawtape is typically incorporated into a hem that runsalong the upper opening of the bag. The manufacture of a drawstring bagis relatively more complicated than either the ordinary bags used withtwist-ties or the slightly more complicated multi-flap bags.

Despite their popularity, drawstring bags are not without criticism. Inparticular, the drawtape used with drawstring bags must be much strongerthan the polyethylene used as the bag material. The drawtape materialmust resist the tendency to puncture or tear, which requires a resilientpolyethylene to be utilized as the drawtape material. As a result, thereis a long-felt need to provide a drawtape that does not feel as stiff ascurrent drawtape while providing a high level of resistance to punctureand tear. The present disclosure generally addresses a long-felt needand provides systems and methods of using polymeric bags for trashcollection.

Referring initially to FIG. 1, a perspective view of the upper half of adrawstring trash bag 100 as known is the prior art is depicted toprovide context for the discussing the present disclosure. Thedrawstring trash bag 100 consists essentially of a front panel 102 and aback panel 104, both panels being substantially rectangular in shape.The front panel 102 and the back panel 104 are usually formed from asingle piece of polymeric film, folded to form the bottom of the bag toform the two panels 102 and 104. However, other configurations utilizingtwo distinct panels 102 and 104 sealed along the bottom are known in theart. The front panel 102 and back panel 104 are sealed proximate to thesides of the bag to form a left bag seal 112 and a right bag seal 114.However, prior to forming the left bag seal 112 and right bag seal 114,a first hem 122 is formed along the top of edge of the front panel byfolding the top edge of the front panel 102 a distance of approximatelyone to two inches and creating a hem seal 126 to form the bottom of thefirst hem 122. Similarly, a second hem 124 is formed along the top edgeof the back panel 104 by folding the back panel 104 over and providing asecond hem seal 128.

Still referring to FIG. 1, before the first and second hem seals 126 and128 are created to form the first and second hems 122 and 124, adrawtape 150 is placed inside the hems 122 and 124 of the front panel102 and back panel 104. At this point, the hem seals 126 and 128 arecreated to keep the drawtape within the hems 122 and 124. Similarly, aleft and right drawtape seals 116 and 118 are formed along the edge ofthe bag during production. The drawtape seals 116 and 118 bind the endsof the first hem 122, second hem 124, the drawtape 150 contained withineach hem 122 and 124. The drawtape seals 116 and 118 keep the ends ofthe drawtape secure when the drawtape is pulled by the user through theholes 132 and 134 provided in the hems 122 and 124. After the drawtape150 is secured by the drawtape seals 116 and 118, the left bag seal 112and right bag seal 114 can be provided to create the final drawstringbag 100. The drawtape 150 of FIG. 1 generally has a width ofapproximately 1 inch and a thickness of 2.25 mils. However, it iscontemplated that the drawtape 150 could be narrowed to be only 0.5inches wide or less in width or. Alternative, the drawtape 150 could bewidened to be 2 inches or more in width. Furthermore, the drawtape 150utilized in the drawstring bag may be manufactured using a single-plyconstruction or a multi-ply construction as known in the art. The mostconventional multi-ply construction is a co-extruded, triple-plyconstruction utilizing three distinct layers of polyethylene.

Referring now to FIG. 2, a drawtape is depicted as contemplated by oneembodiment of the present disclosure. In particular, FIG. 2 provides anelevation view of one exemplary embossed drawtape 200 contemplated bythe present disclosure with a exemplary embossing pattern 202. Theexemplary embossing pattern 202 depicted is comprised of a plurality ofembosses 204. For this exemplary embossing pattern 202, the individualembosses 204 are circular, substantially uniform in size, evenlydistributed and have substantially uniform depth as better depicted inFIG. 3. It is contemplated that essentially any conceivable embossingpattern may be utilized with the present disclosure. In particular, itis contemplated that the shapes of the plurality of embosses may benon-circular such as ellipses and irregular shapes. In fact, acombination of different shapes may be utilized within the sameembossing pattern. Furthermore, the embossing pattern may utilizeembosses that are not uniform in size and may be randomly or unevenlydistributed. The particular embossing pattern used in each applicationis dependent on several factors including the tactile feel of theembossing pattern, the width and thickness of the drawtape and thedesired application of the drawstring bag.

Referring now to FIG. 3, an exaggerated side elevation view of theexemplary embossed drawtape 200 is depicted. As can be seen, theexemplary drawtape 200 is comprised of the base polyethylene drawtape206 which is embossed to form the plurality of embosses 204. In thisexemplary embossed drawtape 200, the plurality of embosses 204 areunidirectional in that each of the plurality of embosses extends awayfrom the base polyethylene drawtape 206 in a single direction.Furthermore, in the exemplary embossed drawtape 200, each of theplurality of embosses 204 are substantially uniform in depth. However,it is contemplated that alternative embodiments may utilize non-uniformdepths and a combination of embosses extending both directions away fromthe base polyethylene drawtape 206.

Now referring to FIG. 4, an embossed drawstring bag 400 incorporating anembossed drawtape 200 is depicted. The embossed drawstring bag 400 ofFIG. 4 is substantially the same as the drawstring bag 100 known in theprior art and previously described with respect to FIG. 1 except theembossed drawtape 200 is substituted for the non-embossed drawtape 100.The embossed drawtape 200 provides the end consumer with a more pleasingand desirable drawstring in the final product. Preliminary observationsof the embossed drawtape 200 indicate that the embossed drawtape 200provides a better tactile feel for the consumer and may result in adrawtape with more desirable physical characteristics.

As with the drawtape 150 utilized with the drawstring bag 100 of FIG. 1,it is contemplated that the embossed drawtape 200 will generally have athickness of 2.25 mils. However, it is contemplated that the thicknessof the embossed drawtape 200 in certain embodiments may be reduced to aslittle as 1.5 mils or less. Similarly, it is also contemplated that thethickness of the embossed drawtape 200 in certain embodiments may beincreased to 3 mils or greater. Furthermore, the width of the embosseddrawtape 200 is expected to be approximately 1 inch in mostapplications. However, it is contemplated that widths of 0.5 inches orless may be desirable in some applications while other applicationsrequire the use of an embossed drawtape 200 having a width of as much as2 inches or greater.

It may be advantageous to set forth definitions of certain words andphrases used in this patent document. The terms “include” and“comprise,” as well as derivatives thereof, mean inclusion withoutlimitation. The term “or” is inclusive, meaning and/or. The phrases“associated with” and “associated therewith,” as well as derivativesthereof, may mean to include, be included within, interconnect with,contain, be contained within, connect to or with, couple to or with, becommunicable with, cooperate with, interleave, juxtapose, be proximateto, be bound to or with, have, have a property of, or the like.

While this disclosure has described certain embodiments and generallyassociated methods, alterations and permutations of these embodimentsand methods will be apparent to those skilled in the art. For example,it is contemplated that any number of different embossing patterns maybe utilized without diverging from the spirit of the disclosure.Accordingly, the above description of example embodiments does notdefine or constrain this disclosure. Other changes, substitutions, andalterations are also possible without departing from the spirit andscope of this disclosure, as defined by the following claims.

1. An embossed drawtape comprising: a drawtape manufactured frompolyethylene and imprinted with an embossing pattern having a pluralityof embosses.
 2. The embossed drawtape of claim 1, wherein the embossesare substantially circular in shape.
 3. The embossed drawtape of claim1, wherein the embosses are substantially uniform in size.
 4. Theembossed drawtape of claim 1, wherein the embosses are distributedevenly within the embossing pattern.
 5. The embossed drawtape of claim1, wherein the embosses have a substantially uniform depth.
 6. Theembossed drawtape of claim 1, wherein the embosses are imprinted so asto extend from a base of the drawtape in a single direction.
 7. Theembossed drawtape of claim 1, wherein the drawtape is manufactured fromat least 20% high-density polyethylene.
 8. The embossed drawtape ofclaim 1, wherein the drawtape has a width of between 0.5 inches and 2inches and wherein the thickness of the drawtape is between 1.5 mils and3 mils.
 9. The embossed drawtape of claim 5, wherein the drawtape has awidth of 1 inch and a thickness of 2.25 mils.
 10. The embossed drawtapeof claim 1, wherein the drawtape is a triple-ply, coextruded drawtape.11. A drawstring polymeric bag comprising: a front panel having arectangular shape, wherein a top end of the front panel is folded andsealed to form a first hem; a back panel having a rectangular shape,wherein a top end of the back panel is folded and sealed to form asecond hem; and a drawtape imprinted with an embossing pattern having aplurality of embosses, wherein the drawtape is disposed along at leastone of: the first hem and the second hem, and wherein the front paneland back panel joined along a first side, a second side, and a bottom ofthe respective panels to form a polymeric bag.
 12. The bag of claim 11,wherein the embosses are substantially circular in shape.
 13. The bag ofclaim 11, wherein the embosses are substantially uniform in size. 14.The bag of claim 11, wherein the embosses are distributed evenly withinthe embossing pattern.
 15. The bag of claim 11, wherein the embosseshave a substantially uniform depth.
 16. The bag of claim 11, wherein thedrawtape has a width of between 0.5 inches and 2 inches and a thicknessbetween 1.5 mils and 3 mils.
 17. The bag of claim 11, wherein thedrawtape has a width of 1 inch and a thickness of 2.25 mils.
 18. Amethod of manufacturing an embossed drawstring bag, the methodcomprising: manufacturing a polymeric bag having a front panel, a backpanel and an upper opening; forming a first hem along the upper openingof the polymeric bag; and disposing a first embossed drawtape along thefirst hem formed along the upper opening of the polymeric bag, the firstembossed drawtape imprinted with an embossing pattern having a pluralityof embosses.
 19. The method of claim 18 further comprising: sealing afirst end of the embossed drawtape to a first side of the polymeric bag;and sealing a second end of the embossed drawtape to a second side ofthe polymeric bag.
 20. The method of claim 18 further comprising:forming a second hem along the upper opening of the polymeric bag; anddisposing a second embossed drawtape within the second hem formed alongthe upper opening of the polymeric bag, the second embossed drawtapeimprinted with an embossing pattern having a plurality of embosses.